Piczle Colors Review

Piczle Colors is the brand new entry to the Piczle puzzle series. For those who don’t know, the Piczle games are Sudoku-like puzzle-based titles where you solve logic-based puzzles in order to create a picture. If you’ve played any of the Picross S games you’ll have a basic understanding of how this game works, although there are a few new wrinkles here. There’s already a bunch of games from the Piczle series on the Nintendo Switch, but does this new entry stack up to the quality of the others?

While the other games in the Piczle series have stayed roughly the same, relying more on the number of puzzles rather than gameplay changes, this is the first game in the series that introduces a gimmick to its gameplay. This time around you will be solving puzzles with color, rather than just filling in empty spaces. With each puzzle you will be given a few different colors that you will need to use in order to solve each grid. While this doesn’t sound like a big gameplay change, it does factor in a lot of new elements.

Since you have a few different colors to choose from, it’s easier to see where each color goes on the puzzle grid than the original black and white grids. This could be seen as a good or bad thing. This title will probably be perfect for introducing new players to the genre, but veterans will likely find the puzzles too easy. Later puzzles do up the challenge with larger grids to solve.

The controls work as well as you would expect from this game. If you’re using a controller you can just cycle through the colors with the shoulder buttons, and set down paint marks with the A button. It’s really that simple, and it gets even simpler since the game supports touchscreen play. The only problem I have with the games control scheme is the fact that you can’t paint over the spaces you already painted. If you messed up, you have to cycle back to the clear paint, clear up your space, and then paint it again with the correct color. Sure this is a minor problem, but it’s one players will notice more and more as the puzzles get bigger and more paint gets added that you’ll have to cycle through. Needless button presses are never a good thing, and they begin to stick out more and more as you play.

While you normally wouldn’t expect, nor desire, a story from games like this, the story is surprisingly entertaining. In this entry, the renowned Professor Matrix has invented a paint solution that completely erases the color off of anything. His delinquent assistant Score-Chan, of course, ends up spreading the paint across the land and now she has to go on a quest to restore the color that had been erased. While the story isn’t needed, it’s just charming and it gives a good reason for the puzzles you have to solve in the game.

One problem with most puzzle games on the eShop is that they cost a lot more than the amount of content they offer. That is a problem you won’t have with Piczle Colors. There is a bounty of puzzles both small and large that you can unlock and play the further you progress. There are even several secrets and extras that you can unlock by completing more stages. The game also rewards you for replaying the puzzles and aiming for a higher score with neat trophies and virtual prizes that you can earn. While this isn’t the most content rich game in the Piczle series, it definitely gives you your money’s worth.

Jordan Brewer

Jordan is a gaming fanatic who grew up in a home of shovelware. Years of discounted drivel has molded this man, shaping him into the seeker of quality he is today.